Manel (term)
A manel is a term given to a panel of speakers or participants, for example at a conference, that consists of men only.
Use of the term[edit]
The term "manel" refers to an all male panel of speakers or presenters at a seminar or event. This term was popularized by the Tumblr All Male Panels, in which users submit examples of all-male panels. The term is intended to highlight the disproportionate presence of men on panels and concomitant underrepresentation of women as experts on a particular topic.
Participants at conferences commonly post photos of manels using the hashtags #manels and #allmalepanels.
The data behind under representation of women on panels[edit]
The popularization of the term is a reflection of several recent articles that point to the relative absence of women on panels. Notable articles include Tamara Cofman Wittes' January 12, 2015 article, "The mysterious absence of women from Middle East policy debates,"[1] which found that women were not present in any of the 150 Washington-based think tank events focused on the Middle East in 2014. Additional Washington Post data sets revealed that women were not included in 65% of events held in major Washington think tanks in 2014.
The Brookings Institution also highlighted the lack of women in the U.S. Congressional debate over the Iran Nuclear Deal, despite former U.S. Under Secretary for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman having led the negotiations.[2]
In October 2015, mathematician Greg Martin developed a statistical probability model to test the argument that speakers are chosen without bias by analyzing the make-up of panels at a recent mathematicians conference featuring 19 male speakers and one female speaker. Using the assumption that 24% of PhDs in mathematics have been granted to women over the last 25 years, he finds that it is statistically impossible that a speakers’ lineup with this composition would be created randomly.[3]
Pledges and commitments[edit]
Several groups urge men and women to state publicly their refusal to appear on or support a manel.
In 2016, the executive director of the U.N. Global Compact, Lise Kingo, announced that the organization’s 80 employees will no longer participate in or host all-male panel discussions.
Development economist Owen Barder asks for the pledge,[4] “At a public conference I won’t serve on a panel of two people or more unless there is at least one woman on the panel, not including the Chair.”
The Atlantic published a page asking readers to pledge, "I will not speak on or moderate all-male panels at technology and science conferences."[5]
Recognizing the proliferation of all-male panels, Foreign Policy Magazine published "7 Rules for Avoiding All-Male Panels" in its March 8, 2016 article.[6]
Men committed to boycotting manels[edit]
A U.K. group runs Manpanels.org, which lists the names of men who have committed not to speak on panels that include only men.
Notable men committed to boycotting manels include:
- Stephen Lewis, co-founder of AIDS-Free World
- David Rothkopf, CEO and editor of the FP Group (which publishes Foreign Policy Magazine)
- Gary Barker, President and CEO of Promundo
References[edit]
- ↑ "The mysterious absence of women from Middle East policy debates". Washington Post. Retrieved 2016-09-06.
- ↑ "The Absence of Women from Middle East Policy Debates: An Update | Brookings Institution". Retrieved 2016-09-06.
- ↑ Bacon, Lauren. "The Odds That a Panel Would 'Randomly' Be All Men Are Astronomical".
- ↑ "The Pledge - I will not be part of male-only panels".
- ↑ Rosen, Rebecca J. "A Simple Suggestion to Help Phase Out All-Male Panels at Tech Conferences". Retrieved 2016-09-06.
- ↑ "7 Rules for Avoiding All-Male Panels". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 2016-09-06.
External links[edit]
- 100% Men Tumblr
- Say No to Man Panels
- "Only men at your event? This blog will shame you." BBC News. Retrieved 2016-09-06.
- "Congrats, you have an all-male panel! How one Tumblr shakes up the status quo." The Guardian. Retrieved 2016-09-07
- "How Ironic: No Women on Comic Con's Panel on Women in Comics." Retrieved 2016-09-06
- "The man-only panel is bad, but the token-woman panel is even worse." The Independent. Retrieved 2016-09-06.
- "Include the Women Leaders: Shifting From Manels to Gender Equity in Panels." Retrieved 2016-09-06.
- "Female Scientists Turn to Data to Fight Lack of Representation on Panels." The New York Times. Retrieved 2016-09-07.
- Hanham, Melissa. "The F-Bomb." Arms Control Wonk. Retrieved 2016-09-07.
- "CNAS 2016 Tenth Annual Conference: The Case for Inclusivity - Lessons from Four National Security Leaders." Retrieved 2016-09-07.
- "#WomenAlsoKnowStuff." Retrieved 2016-09-07.
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